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If you don’t understand why it is important for Maomao and Jinshi to end up together, then you don’t fully understand Maomao’s character. Maomao’s character arc is built in such a way that accepting a relationship with Jinshi is a necessity for it to work.

It takes so long for them to be together because a main character’s arc resolution has to happen at the end of the story (which Natsu originally intended to be volume 12).

Maomao starts the story believing in the anti-theme, essentially the opposite of the main theme:

“To be loved, even just for a little while—that’s a wonderful thing. You almost… start to think it means there’s a place you belong.”

—Chue’s line to Maomao

This is what Maomao ultimately needs to understand. Because of her ghost (an often traumatic event that gives a character their main flaw or incorrect worldview) so in her case not receiving love as a baby, Maomao grows up overly reliant on logic and repressing her emotions. This emotional repression is the anti-theme.

A few examples:

She can’t admit to Jinshi that she wants to help Xiaolan because Xiaolan is her friend.

She refers to Luomen as her mentor rather than her father figure in front of Jinshi.

This flaw creates her want, which we see in her goal: to maintain her life exactly as it is. At the beginning of the story, she has no plans to make friends, find a partner, or form new relationships. She is comfortable with the relationships she has always had with her sister and her father because they don’t challenge her emotional repression. And this is why she runs away about any clue related to Jinshi’s real identity, because she doesn’t want their dynamic to change.

For this type of character, who has a maintenance goal rather than an active one, there need to be other forces or characters who drive the plot. That’s why the story begins with her being kidnapped, and why Jinshi takes more plot-changing actions than she does.

However, what a character wants is not necessarily what they need. Jinshi already believes in the theme, which is why his main goal is to be with Maomao. But while his goal is correct, the way he goes about it is flawed. Jinshi needs to learn to be less possessive, which ties into another theme of the story: autonomy.

Jinshi’s possessiveness is rooted in his own ghost, having the toys he loved as a child taken away from him. As a result, he clings too tightly to the things and people he cares about.

This is why Maomao and Jinshi complement each other. Throughout the story, Jinshi challenges Maomao to open up emotionally, while Maomao’s emotional repression forces Jinshi to unlearn his possessive behavior. In other words, if Maomao were like many other girls who are immediately smitten with Jinshi, he would never have learned to let go. And if Jinshi were not so possessive and stubborn in his pursuit of her, Maomao would never truly open up emotionally, something that Joka herself acknowledges.

„Maomao, you’re very fortunate. This person is clearly very persistent, extremely stubborn, doesn’t know when to quit—”

„Gee, he sounds like a real catch,” Pairin interjected, but Joka ignored her.

“—and is good enough that even you were willing to let him win.”

In volume 12, Maomao is willing to give up her want: to maintain her life the way it is, for her need: to be with Jinshi, even though he is still the Moon Prince and, as she strongly suspects and later confirms in volume 13, the Emperor’s son. In other words, choosing Jinshi means abandoning the emotional safety of maintaining her old, controlled life and accepting love, belonging, and the complications that come with them.

In volume 15, Jinshi is willing to give up his want: to be with Maomao, for his need: learning to let go by prioritizing Maomao’s autonomy over his own desire.

Maomao moves toward connection by surrendering control while Jinshi moves toward healthy love by surrendering control.

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #maomao #jinshi #jinmao

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septembercfawkes

What Your Character Likely Fears Most

While I don't consider the protagonist's greatest fear to be positively vital to a good story, knowing it and working with it can certainly improve the story and give it more impact. Perhaps the reason I don't focus too much on fears, is because if you have the proper story pieces in place, your protagonist's greatest fear is likely already in place as well--you just may not realize it. But once you do, you can utilize it to better effect.

So let's dig into how to find your protagonist's (or any character's) greatest fear, according to story theory.

As I've covered a few times on here, every protagonist--or really, any main character--should have a want, a motive, behind his or her plot goals. I call this the "abstract want."

The character tries to fulfill the abstract want in concrete ways, and this is what makes up the plot (or it should). The abstract want and plot goals need to be aligned somehow; if they aren't, that's usually a problem.

For example, in The X-Files, Mulder's abstract want is to find and reveal the truth. This shows up in his concrete goal of solving the X-Files.

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack's abstract want is to live free, preferably forever. This is why he wants The Black Pearl back (and to be captain) in the first film, this is why he wants to avoid Davy Jones and the Kraken in the second film, and this is why he wants to replace Davy Jones on The Flying Dutchman in the third film.

In The Office, Michael Scott wants to be liked and loved. This shows up in dozens of concrete goals, from hosting a dinner party, to having a conference meeting, to organizing a fun run, to getting too involved in Pam's pregnancy.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss wants to save others (particularly those she considers "innocent") and survive. This is why she volunteers to take Prim's place in the beginning and risks her life to save Peeta at the end. This is why she hunts and scrapes by in District 12, and aims to win in the Games.

Just about every key thing these characters do, connects back to their abstract want.

This want should be incredibly important to the character. It's something the character keeps close to her heart and will go to great lengths to fulfill. It's such a high priority, that the character should be willing to risk her life (literally or figuratively) to get it (or in some cases, keep it). If you made a list of what abstract things matter most to the character, this would be near the top (and often at the very top).

It's okay if the character has more than one want (like Katniss), but the want needs to be there. It should be strong and clear enough that you, the writer, can verbalize it.

Well, guess what?

In pinning down the character's abstract want, you're also likely pinning down your character's greatest fear.

Your character's greatest fear--or one of them--is losing the abstract want. And the more definitively it is lost, the scarier.

So threatening that want, or demolishing the pathway to fulfilling it, or making the protagonist suffer the exact opposite of what he wants, often makes a better plot and creates more interesting character moments. In fact, this is often one of the best ways to reveal character.

With this in mind, this makes Davy Jones an excellent antagonist for Jack in Pirates. While Jack's want is to live forever free, Davy Jones is trying to trap him for eternity in his Locker, along with The Black Pearl (which is a symbol of freedom). In the second film, Jack is terrified of Davy Jones because he's terrified of losing his abstract want. It's not just because Davy Jones is a cruel, formidable foe--it's deeper than that. He strikes Jack right in the heart--what matters to Jack most. Being forever trapped is the exact opposite of his greatest desire.

Unfortunately, though, this is something the creators of the fifth film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, have zero understanding of. The writers tried to claim that Salazar was Jack's greatest fear, period. And they decided this "just because." It's not rooted in anything meaningful. It also doesn't make much sense within the installment itself, because in the flashback with Salazar, Jack isn't scared--he has a smile on his face. It falls completely flat. They slapped on a simple, random fear, on a complex, deep, round character. Jack will never be more afraid of Salazar than Davy Jones, because Davy Jones was the embodiment of Jack's greatest fear. On some level, the audience senses this--so Salazar doesn't resonate.

It's also through Davy Jones that the writers can better reveal Jack's character. How much does freedom matter to Jack? So much so, that he's willing to turn over 100 innocent souls to take his place. This then makes his arc for the installment more meaningful--because he lets go of that idea and his chance to safely save himself, and returns to the Pearl to help his crew--risking his greatest want in the face of his greatest fear.

This likewise makes the third installment more meaningful, as Jack's goal is to kill Davy Jones. He's escaped the Locker and aims to defeat (on some level) the embodiment of his fear, conquering it and getting what he wants, forever.

Theoretically, the antagonistic forces should be making the protagonist face his fear. Either by being a direct embodiment of it, like Davy Jones, or simply because they're putting the concrete goal in jeopardy; and because the concrete goal is a manifestation of the abstract want, that means when the goal is at risk, to the character, it feels like the want is at risk.

This is all theoretically speaking, though, of course--there is definitely room for variations.

But let's look at another example.

In Jurassic Park, what John Hammond wants most is to create "magical" experiences for other people. In the second act, he talks about the flea circus he had when young, and how it impacted people--enthralled them--and we sense how that, in turn, impacted him. This is why he created Jurassic Park. He was chasing that same want, but this time hoped the "magic" could be real, through real dinosaurs.

His greatest fear is losing his dream of the park--not because of the park itself, not because of the loss of money, and time, and effort, and resources. Because losing it means losing his want. This is why he won't listen to reason. This is why he'll take huge risks. This is why he'll breed and keep raptors and a T. Rex. It's all about fulfilling this want, and he's afraid of not doing that.

And what happens? Not only does he not create a "magical" experience, he creates a horrifying, deadly one! This is the exact opposite of what he aimed to do. And this is ultimately the only thing that gets him to change his course.

People, his own grandchildren, dying from and terrified by his creations, is the "scariest" thing he's ever experienced. He shuts down the park.

Likewise, in KPop Demon Hunters, Rumi wants to stop hiding her shame, by sealing the Honmoon so that it won't matter she is half demon. The scariest thing she can face, is having her shame of being half-demon exposed--to Mira, Zoey, and the whole world.

One of the worst (read: best) things you can do to your character, is to strike at his want--to hand him the opposite of his want.

Mulder wants to find and reveal the truth--but what happens in season two, when he "learns" that what he was finding and revealing was actually all lies? Not only was he not revealing the truth, he was spreading lies. It's soul-crushing.

The worst that can be asked of Katniss, is to kill someone "innocent." Not only is she not saving the innocent, she's asked to kill someone who once saved her. Sure, on the surface, she acts callous, even about the innocent, but she cares more about them than she consciously admits, as her actions show time and time again. In the series, the worst that can happen to her, is the death of the person she deems most innocent--Prim--and her failure to save her. It's Prim being sacrificed by her own society. The worst that can happen, is Katniss losing her will to survive, which has always driven her. And that's exactly what happens in Mockingjay.

Threatening or striking at the abstract want, or even delivering its exact opposite, and making that your character's greatest fear is much more meaningful, impactful, and resonating than picking something random.

And if you really want to throw a gut punch, you combine this with my previous post on "feeding the dog poison": in the character's efforts to fulfill the want, she unintentionally brings about its opposite, leading to devastating consequences.

This is perhaps one of the best ways to test and challenge the character to arc.

Facing our fears usually reveals who we truly are, what matters most to us; and how we choose to respond to that, determines the kind of person we become.

So, what is your character's abstract want? And how can that be flipped into their greatest fear?

Some thoughts about vol 5 Jinmao

The Prologue and Epilogue mirror each other. The Prologue depicts the moment when a young Yoh traps Ah-Duo by choosing to make her his bedmate, while the Epilogue suggests that history is repeating itself: the prince follows in his father’s footsteps by attempting to force Maomao into a similar cage.

The final part of the Epilogue also shows the consequences of Yoh’s actions. He imprisoned Ah-Duo and was ultimately punished for it. He obtained the woman and the son he wanted, but he could never truly have either of them. He was forced to give up Ah-Duo because she lost her womb and became “useless” to the Empire, while his son was officially made his brother, meaning Yoh could never acknowledge him as his own.

The myth I discussed here https://www.tumblr.com/augustinamiaumiau/781535647390416896/the-myth-of-vega-and-altair-and-how-it-relates-to also serves as a warning about what their future could look like if nothing changes. In my previous post, I focused on a lot of unnecessary details, but I now think the reason Natsu included the myth was because the lovers end up together in Heaven, yet they are still separated by a river. Jinshi, who represents the princess in the story, can bring Maomao, the commoner, into the heavens that is, into the imperial family, but they would still remain emotionally separated, symbolized by the river.

💬 0 🔁 4 ❤️ 31 · The myth of Vega and Altair and how it relates to Jinshi and Maomaoa · LN5 SPOILERS “The sky seemed so vast. There was no

The Epilogue forces the two of them to communicate and sets off a chain reaction that moves the plot forward. In Volume 6, Jinshi finally asks Maomao how she feels about him and about the possibility of marrying him. Maomao says that her main concern is Gyokuyou, prompting Jinshi to brand himself. As a result, he is sent back to the Western Capital alongside Maomao, where they finally end up together.

#all I do on here is talk about volume 5 #the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #jinshi #maomao #jinmao

ywnya

Be a flower!

for the flower collab with my dear colleagues artists☺️🪻

LN12 Spoilers

I don’t know how many people are familiar with alchemy in fiction. In these types of stories, you usually have two main characters who are opposites in very specific ways.

One is associated with the Sun, fire and air, the heart, hot and dry qualities, activity, the colors red and gold, and sulfur (usually the male character, though it can be female as well).

The other is associated with the Moon, water and earth, the mind, cool and moist qualities, passivity, mercury, and silver (usually the female character, but not always).

For some time, I’ve been trying to see if Maomao and Jinshi fit this pattern (which is already a bit of a stretch, since alchemical stories normally include supernatural elements). At first, I categorized Jinshi as the Moon character because of his name, but that was a mistake.

I actually think Jinshi and Maomao fit this alchemical opposition very nicely if you ignore Jinshi’s association with the Moon. He is definitely the Sun/red/fire character, while Maomao fits the Moon/water/mind role.

What really solidified this idea for me is how their feelings are described. Jinshi’s emotions are compared to molten lava, so fire. He even brands himself with fire and uses air to fill Maomao’s lungs after he chokes her. He is also the heart character (which is unusual, since that role normally belongs to the protagonist). He’s emotional, passionate, impulsive, stubborn, and definitely the more active one between the two.

Maomao’s feelings, on the other hand, are described as lukewarm water, so again, we have the water imagery. If you water the land, plants grow, and water is often associated with healer characters, which Maomao is. She represents the mind character: pragmatic, analytical, and the more passive one between them.

Another nice little detail appears in the Volume 5 epilogue kissing scene. In the official translation, Maomao’s lips are described as hot and dry, but in the fan translation, she is describing Jinshi’s lips as hot and dry. Then, in the Volume 6 prologue, Jinshi describes Maomao’s mouth as warm and moist. It doesn’t fit 100%, but it doesn’t feel like a coincidence either.

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #maomao #jinshi #jinmao

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LN Spoilers

I’ve been trying to understand why I don’t really vibe with Lakan, and I think it has to do with the fact that he was introduced in Volume 2, has appeared in nearly every volume since, and has interacted with Maomao everytime he was present, but those interactions feel very repetitive and never really go anywhere. He does something cringey or gross and Maomao simply ends up tolerating his presence.

You can’t say there’s zero growth, back in Volume 2 she couldn’t even stand hearing his name, and now she tolerates his presence and interacts with him a bit, but it doesn’t feel like enough development across 15 volumes.

Lakan feels like a much better character when he interacts with anyone other than his daughter. For example, I really enjoyed him in Volume 8 when he was involved with Jinshi.

I heared things are finally going somewhere in Volume 16 so I guess there’s still hope.

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #maomao #lakan

One thing I find very funny about Maomao is that she never refuses a present. She’s very aware of her status compared to the nobles, but the moment they offer her something, she doesn’t even bother with a courtesy refusal, she just takes it. Even if it’s not something she likes, she’ll still find a way to make money off it.

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #maomao

hadalplumes

We have all of Maomao's thoughts in LNs 5 6 and 7 about her complicated feelings on Jinshi and his several indirect proposals, but man I can't imagine how infuriating Maomao's behavior must've been from Jinshi's point of view this entire time

Because he already knows Maomao almost never asks for things out right. Their earliest case of miscommunication had him almost losing contact with her forever and her being driven into prostitution because she couldn't even ask to be kept as a mere servant in the rear palace

So then, he has to work with what little she says and she does, to make sure they never find themselves in a situation like that again. And what does Maomao do? Lets him sleep on her lap, She feeds him, tucks him into bed, sings him to sleep, constantly fusses about his health and sleep, lets him lay down in her bed, strokes his hair, etc

Also, I may be speaking on conjecture here (forgive me Maomao & Luomen) but was him sleeping in the carriage on the way to WC his indirect way of wanting to cuddle up next to her in some privacy, that Maomao's pov just scowled at and left (there's also always the option he's just dense as fuck ik)

And this isn't a modern friendship where: hey! boys and girls can cuddle watching a movie and still just be friends! don't be weirdo!

You don't do that stuff with the opposite sex in such a conservative society unless it's courting (even then their actions are a tad inappropriate).

Not to mention, it's not even just him initiating all of this anymore, it's Maomao, too, meaning his initiative is being reciprocated. And then she wears his hairpin to the fucking bride banquet Jinshi is excited this is working! they're on the same page, she took the final step of making it public to everyone, and then... she says he should marry Lishu?

She can complain about Jinshi not saying what he wants or means directly, but she's just as guilty

augustinamiaumiau

I think it’s important to try to empathize with Jinshi and see things from his perspective. You can really see how biased people are toward Maomao because she’s the viewpoint character about 90% of the time.

People also think he was unreasonable for insisting on telling Maomao the truth about his identity, even though Gaoshun agreed that he should. And let’s not forget that she literally learned that her boss, the manager of the rear palace, has a penis when he shouldn’t. Isn’t that the kind of situation that deserves immediate clarification?

Later on, as you mentioned, Jinshi also has to deal with Maomao giving him mixed signals. She tells him he doesn’t have to control himself anymore, then doesn’t clarify things when she realizes he wasn’t talking about sleep. She even decides that the best time to check his cheek wound is when he’s trying to kiss her.

Then there’s all the care from Volume 5 that you mentioned and something I rarely see brought up: her decision to stay at Jinshi’s house in Volume 7. She was summoned there with her father and others to discuss the Shrine Maiden. When she noticed how tired Jinshi looked, she chose to stay behind to make sure he got some sleep. That’s not exactly the kind of thing you do for a man you only see as your boss.

Jinshi even asks her in his bedroom why she’s not leaving with Luomen. And when he brings up Suiren’s wish to see him take a consort, she reacts as if it’s unreasonable for him to ask her about it.

So while Jinshi is no angel and definitely makes mistakes, if you put yourself in his shoes, you can understand why he might think Maomao has feelings for him and why he might feel so frustrated with her.

#the apothecary diaries #jinmao #maomao #jinshi

bloodraven55

MY KIDSSSSS

#witch hat atelier

LN13 Spoiler

I hadn’t realized until now that Maomao is the POV character for only one chapter in this entire volume. It’s truly a unique book in the series.

Chapter 1:Lahan

Chapter 2:Lahan

Chapter 3:Lahan

Chapter 4:Lahan

Chapter 5:Jinshi

Chapter 6:Tianyu

Chapter 7:Maamei

Chapter 8:Lahan’s brother

Chapter 9:En’en

Chapter 10:En’en

Chapter 11:Joka

Chapter 12:Joka

Chapter 13: Yao

Chapter 14:Ah-duo

Chapter 15:Jinshi

Chapter 16:Maomao

#the apothecary diaries #maomao #kusuriya no hitorigoto #ln13

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While I love TAD as a whole, Maomao and Jinshi’s relationship is, to me, the most compelling aspect and perhaps even the most ambitious part of the story.

#the apothecary diaries #jinmao

septembercfawkes

Hi friends!

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- Sign-ups are first come, first serve

- I'm only taking 9 students for the course this year.

- Classes start June 9th at 5 pm Mountain Daylight Time and end on August 27th (all classes are recorded, so if you miss it live, you can watch it later. You can also rewatch the course however many times you want to in coming years)

The Triarchy Method is a developmental writing course that is all about strengthening the "bones" of your story (character, plot, and theme)--and you may have heard me reference it in my posts . . . or seen me share some slides and diagrams from it. Like these . . .

In this course, you will learn approaches that will not only help you with your work-in-progress, but with every story you write after--all while receiving personalized feedback on your assignments straight from me.

Here are what three of my students said about the course last year:

"I have a PhD in English and have been writing novels since I was a child, but the plots and storylines just never seemed to click into place. I found September’s blog when searching for help. . . . . I was completely unfamiliar with her and her work and was hesitant to spend a chunk of money on something so unknown, but it was 1000% worth it.

"I wish so much I could have taken this class years ago; I think it would have saved me years of bumbling around and writing ineffectively. I have literally been telling everyone I know how great this class was, and how grateful I am to have found it! Her blog is very reflective of the course (but the course goes into far more detail), and if you like the content there, you will love the class!"

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"As a complete beginner, I had dreams of writing the book I had in my head but no structure to make those writing dreams a real possibility. When I finished the course, I had a real understanding of what it takes to move my book to a completed novel. Each class I learned so much about how to write a great book, and my mind was opened to what was possible. The Triarchy Method course is exactly what I had hoped it would be."

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This course is now offered on my own website, FawkesEditing.com, and is $1,747 to take. (If you want to split that up into multiple payments, or have any questions about anything, feel free to email me directly at SeptemberCFawkes[at]gmail[dot]com or contact me here on tumblr) You can register here! For more details, see below, or go to this page.

[Thanks for the support ❤️]

makitu-png

💔

#madoka

I really enjoyed everybody’s takes on Jinshi’s earlier behavior toward Maomao, and I wanted to chime in.

LN12 Spoilers

Natsu wanted to end the story three times: at volume 1, volume 4, and volume 12. Tamina(@keiuzuki on twitter), who seems like a reliable source, shared interviews in which Natsu talks about this. Natsu herself also made a post on Twitter after the season 2 finale where she mentioned, among other things, that she had planned to end the story there at the time.

Why does this matter? Because the endings of these volumes can be read as potential conclusions to Jinshi and Maomao’s character arcs.

Volume 1: Jinshi starts the story by treating Maomao like a toy and ends it by giving up his want (to have Maomao, the girl he has begun developing feelings for by his side) for his need (to respect Maomao’s wishes as a human being, which he believes are to return to the Pleasure District).

“Are you certain you shouldn’t have stopped her, sir?

“Don’t say a word.”

Gaoshun crossed his arms, frowning. A memory from the past came back to him. How much strife there had been when the young man lost a favorite toy. How Gaoshun had suffered to give him something newer, and more enticing still!

Perhaps he shouldn’t think of her as a toy. Perhaps Jinshi had chosen not to stop her as his way of refusing to treat her as an object. What point would it serve, then, to find some other remarkable lady?”

However, Jinshi’s lack of physical boundaries with Maomao remains, or you could say there is some growth, since he asks if he can touch her instead of simply doing it. Still, this is not the main focus of his character arc.

The same applies to the ending of volume 4. Jinshi gives up his want for freedom (the eunuch persona) for his need (to save Maomao) by revealing himself as the Moon Prince so he can rescue her. Yet again, his lack of physical boundaries is not portrayed as a flaw he needs to grow out of.

The anime doesn’t help in this regard. There’s a good reason why the majority of anime-only viewers aren’t bothered by Jinshi’s behavior, and even those who are rarely call it abuse. That’s because it isn’t framed that way. Jinshi’s behavior toward Maomao is framed as a joke: the background music stays light, Maomao often turns chibi afterward, and aside from the honey-feeding scene, nobody bats an eye.

Compare this to how Madame hitting Maomao is portrayed versus a guard hitting her. The scenes are not treated the same at all, nobody is angry at the Madame for doing it, unlike with the guard.

Back to Jinshi:

After the series continues past volume 4, things change. Jinshi’s character arc is no longer just about learning to respect Maomao’s autonomy or stopping his treatment of her as a toy or pawn (a word that is used a lot later, for good reason). It begins to focus on his physical boundaries as well and becomes about how he exists around her. This is where the volume 5 epilogue comes in, and why it feels out of character or surprising to many readers: Jinshi’s behavior had not been treated as something serious until this point.

After this incident, Jinshi stops trying to kiss Maomao. They have an interesting reconciliation (which chibiumi has a very good post about https://www.tumblr.com/chibimui/794048800789528577/hi-i-really-dont-understand-the-tickling-scene ).

The only times he initiates physical contact after that are much lighter moments, such as trying to hug her in volume 9 and backing off when Maomao says she smells, or patting her head in volume 10. Only after Maomao confirms, in her own Maomao way, that she accepts a relationship with him does he peck her on the lips. And instead of jumping at the opportunity when she teases him about the light kiss, he shows just how deeply their first kiss affected him.

In conclusion, the narrative treats Jinshi’s earlier teasing, touching, and invasiveness as romcom flavor, not as a moral failing he needs to confront. That’s why it lands as “problematic but not abusive” for a lot of people. Once the story continues, Jinshi’s arc expands beyond autonomy into physical boundaries, and the volume 5 epilogue retroactively reframes his earlier actions as something that can cross a line.

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #jinshi #maomao #jinmao

LN11 Spoilers

I wanted to talk more about why I don’t like Rikuson’s role in the main conflict of volume 11.

First of all, this is a coming-of-age story. It’s about teenagers becoming adults, so the focus should be on characters like Maomao, Jinshi, Lishu, Basen, Yao, etc.

That’s why Lishu and Basen getting the spotlight in volume 6 makes sense. It was also clear as early as volume 5 that the White Lady was targeting Lishu, and she was the reason Lishu was even placed in that tower. Because of that, it makes sense for the two of them to interact at the climax. While Basen was the one who saved Lishu, Maomao and Jinshi were still very much involved and present during that climax.

In volume 11, however, Maomao and Jinshi not only aren’t present for the climax, but to this day they don’t even know who killed Gyoku-ou. I wasn’t expecting Jinshi to kill him, but I think it would have made more sense for Maomao and Jinshi to at least learn who Rikuson is, with the audience getting hints that they know something about him. Ideally, the climax would happen first, and only afterward would we learn that Jinshi and his group planned it all, and that Jinshi had to make the hard decision to order Rikuson to kill Gyoku-ou.

Just because the story focuses on the “kids” doesn’t mean the adult characters can’t be interesting and complex. Lakan, the Emperor, and Ah-duo are good examples of that.

By comparison, Rikuson feels bland. His family was killed, and his sister made him promise to protect the Western Capital. This parallels Gyoku-ou’s mother telling him to do the same, as an ancestral duty , the former as a Yi, the latter as a Windreader. I can see that Natsu’s intention was to highlight how Gyoku-ou isn’t actually going to war for the well-being of his region, but for selfish reasons: becoming a hero and taking revenge on the country his biological father came from. Meanwhile, by killing him, Rikuson is the one truly protecting the region, and he does so from the shadows rather than from the stage, unlike Gyoku-ou.

All of that works thematically. What I don’t like is how easy everything is for Rikuson. As I said, one of his desires is to honor his sister’s wish, but he also genuinely wants revenge. And isn’t it convenient that both of those desires align perfectly? He’s even self-aware of it. He has Gyokuen’s support to kill Gyoku-ou, Chue is there to make sure no one interferes, and Lakan lies for him. He doesn’t struggle at all, neither internally nor externally.

“If he could have been only Gyoku-ou’s watchman.

Why did that bastard have to be so warped?

Why had no one tried to repair him?

Why had they made Rikuson do it?

No… That’s not true at all.

Rikuson had wished for this, longed for it.

To take revenge at last for his mother and sister.

And his wish had been granted.”

To give an example of what I think would have made him more interesting, with the disclaimer that this would drastically change the story, this is only meant to illustrate the kind of struggles I’m referring to: imagine a scenario where Gyoku-ou kills the Yi, but is otherwise a good ruler. The Western Capital is prosperous, and he has no desire to go to war.

In that scenario, Rikuson would have to choose between his desires: taking revenge by killing Gyoku-ou, which would weaken the Western Capital, or honoring his sister’s final wish and becoming better than Gyoku-ou by refusing to kill him. Choosing the latter would mean sacrificing his personal revenge for the greater good of the Western Capital, the exact opposite of Gyoku-ou, who killed the Yi clan for selfish reasons.

What we got instead is a jarring contrast. The first half of the book shows Jinshi struggling against Gyoku-ou, dealing with the consequences of his past decisions as Gyoku-ou uses him to push his war agenda, Maomao and the others criticize how Jinshi handles the situation. Then, in contrast, Rikuson casually kills Gyoku-ou and gets his revenge with little resistance or meaningful conflict.

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #ln11

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